1911 Corset Project

I came across this blog when I was doing research for my new corset line. I have been reading it here and there. I hadn't checked it in a while, but came across this sew along last week. And because it is in nice bite sized pieces, I decided it would be fun to do. The 1911 corset is to go along with the centennial of the Titanic this year. When I mentioned that to a friend, he asked if there would be any re-enactments. Not sure that is something that I would really like to re-enact, but to each their own I suppose. I am not sure if I will make an outfit to match, though that might be fun too..

I had a bit of a time choosing the fabric, because the period specific ones are kind of boring for my tastes, but I found some really lovely Italian cotton stripe that will be somewhat true to the time, but I am more interested in something that I would wear v. something period correct. It will make for a double layer rather than the single layer that the piece calls for, but every corset I have made has at least three layers, so no big deal.

So often, I am asked what my favourite fashion era is. I like to say RIGHT NOW, because I can pick and choose elements from all my favourite eras. I am not into the whole mish-mash thing, but fashion and personal style are pretty fluid; with things blending together rather than stark lines being drawn between each decade. Each era draws on the past and interprets it in their own fashion. There are those purists out there, but have you watched a period drama from before now that doesn't look dated to the era that it was made?

There is an official flickr pool for this. I will post my progress here on my blog and in the flickr pool when I have something a bit more interesting than pattern pieces made of tracing paper. I am really excited to see what everyone else does. There are people from all over the world participating!

six and a half costume notes

Once again I was asked by Miss Lisa Degrace (if you remember the giant skirt in Flying Iron) to design costumes for her new production called Six and a Half. Her character "Lily" goes out into the world where she encounters people who could be real or apparitions.

I put Lily in a red dress; in part as a reflection of her personality, and to separate her from the world she enters. Red reminds us that we are alive, and that she is alive in the land of dreams that she is traveling in. Her red contrasts her from the people she encounters who alternate in between being people, ghosts and robots. I put these characters in a palette of whites with stark outlines to give them a timeless and other-worldly feel. Their costumes are accented with red to connect in small ways with Lily and the world of the living.


















The show opens this weekend in a double header with We Two Boys. If you are in Portland, I hope you can see it! I posted the information below:

an evening of new work by Lisa DeGrace and Meshi Chavez

6 1/2 and We Two Boys
March 17 at 8pm
March 18 at 8pm
March 19 at 8pm
March 20 at 4pm and 8pm

Sliding Scale tickets $15 - $25
503-893-5999 to pay with cash or check at the door OR
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/158283 for credit card or debit card.

THE DETAILS:

6 1/2
How does my past influence my future? What am I holding on to? What is holding me? Am I awake or am I asleep? Is this a dream or a nightmare? Lily, a brave and terrified fool, ventures into the unknown.

Created and Performed by Lisa DeGrace with Alicia Ankenman, Mark Kline, and Capra J'neva
Direction/Choreography by Tracy Broyles and Lisa DeGrace

We Two Boys
"We two boys together clinging, one the other never leaving..." A translation of Walt Whitman's poem We Two Boys Together Clinging from language to movement. an investigation into the modern condition of masculinity and the tension that exists when men express their need for one another.

Choreographed by Meshi Chavez
Performed by Richard Decker and Meshi Chavez
Music by lyd

I WANT TO STOP WANTING part two

i just spent several hours last night with tracy draping her dress on her body. this is my preferred method of working in some cases. the elements of the design get to be tried out on the body, and we are guaranteed a perfect fit. i started out with some of the pieces cut out, some put together: the sleeves, the skirt. we spent the better part of the evening pulling and pinning, her trying out some movements very carefully (so she isn't stabbed with pins) and chatting while i stitched the pieces together after we had them worked out. all that is left to do is make a couple of alterations, and finish a few edges. everything else is almost done.

after a while, meshi showed up with some beer and snacks, and we worked out all of the last minute details before tomorrow's tech rehearsal. it is always a relief to get to a point where we know things are coming together, and the finish line is in sight. here's hoping that there are no wardrobe malfunctions tonight; although tonight is the best time for anything that might go wrong to show itself so that it may be corrected before opening night which is thursday:

I WANT TO STOP WANTING
a new dance work by Theory 1:Dance
Disjecta, 8371 N. Interstate
April 30th to May 2nd at 8:00 pm, and
May 3rd at 2:00 and 8:00 pm.
$14 at the door, $12 in advance.
www.disjecta.org to purchase tickets

theory1dance.com


Desire….it’s a word packed with emotions, good and bad. Desire shapes our interactions with those we love, it endlessly drags us into the past
and unknowingly shapes our future. It propels us into action, and grinds us to a halt. “I want to stop Wanting” is an exploration of desire: how we hold it, how it burdens us, and how we let it go. Created by Tracy Broyles and Meshi Chavez with musician lyd and dancers Lucy Yim and Mark Kline, the piece makes physical reality out of the ideas of desire, burden and grace. Raw, visceral and psychologically charged movement is matched by a hauntingly beautiful electronic score that will be mixed live. Costumes will be made by Kirsten A. Moore of Piper Ewan, set design by Bill Tripp and lightinng by Dug Martell.

Hope to see you there!

I WANT TO STOP WANTING part one

photo of tracy broyles and meshi chavez in COCOON BIRD by jon springer

in the spring of 2007 i met with tracy broyles of theory1:dance to discuss the possibility of costumes for her production of COCOON BIRD. she arrived with a couple of pages torn from a magazine, a bag full of paper leaves with little phrases written on them, and a list of words. we used this as the basis of the costumes for this performance.

and this spring i have the privelege to work with tracy and meshi again in their upcoming performance of I WANT TO STOP WANTING that will be held at disjecta in portland at the end of april. i watched my first rehearsal two weeks ago, and took notes on the dancers' movements to see the technical needs and limitations i might encounter when costuming the dancers. other considerations are: visibility, the distance between the dancers and the audience, the lighting, the colours of the walls and floors as compared to what the dancers are wearing, how they all interact together, and which movements need to be highlighted or hidden. i love seeing the progression of other peoples' work. and i also like the opportunity to do something completely different than my very focused piper ewan line.

now is the big challenge. i need to work with the directors to come up with a look that best conveys the feel of the piece. unlike FLYING IRON these costumes cannot limit the dancers' movements in any way. discussions with tracy and meshi over tea consist of us trying tossing about words and concepts that will translate into costumes.

tracy and meshi are holding a fundraiser for this performance on friday the 13th; it should be fun:

THEORY 1: DANCE BENEFIT
5 PERFORMANCES
3 CONSCIOUSNESSES
90 MINUTE DANCE PARTY

March 13th, 2009 – 7:30 pm ‘till 10:00 pm
Performances start at 7:45 Dance Party starts at 8:30

Conduit Dance, Inc.
918 SW Yamhill Ave. Suite 401
Portland OR, 97205

Performances by Oslund+Co., Lanie Bergin,
Jen Warnock & M:CM dancers, Woolly Mammoth Comes to Dinner
and THEORY 1: DANCE

DJ Winky Wheeler + Snacks and Beverages

Donations $10- $100

A benefit for THEORY 1: DANCE’S new work:
“I want to stop wanting” Premiering at the end of April at DISJECTA.
Artistic Directors: Tracy Broyles & Meshi Chavez
Composer/ Musician: lyd
Dancers: Lucy Yim, Meshi Chavez, Mark Kline, Tracy Broyles

This project is partially funded by RACC